Mihail Boyadjiev is an experienced laywer and corruption prevention expert with 30 years of professional experience in these fields. He joined the Basel Institute on Governance in February 2024 as Senior Specialist, Legal Reform in Bulgaria.

Prior to starting his current position, Mihail supported the Basel Institute’s programme in Bulgaria for over a year as Consultant and Senior Legal Advisor. In that capacity, he provided technical assistance for the legislative drafting and implementation process for a number of statutes in Bulgaria, including related to whistleblower protection, the regulation of lobbying activities, reform of the Anti-Corruption Commission, confiscation of illicit assets and foreign bribery.

Prior to joining the Institute, Mihail served as Consultant and Legal Advisor for the USAID Judicial Reform in Uzbekistan Programme (JRUP) by conducting a review of the current legal framework, evaluating the new proposed draft legislation and recommending options for new models and draft legal reforms to improve the operating environment for NGOs in Uzbekistan.

Highlights of his earlier career include working as Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Advisor and Cognizant Technical Officer for the US Embassy/USAID in Bulgaria, and serving as an Advisor to the Supreme Judicial Council, Supreme Cassation Court and Supreme Administrative Court on reforms to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in the Bulgarian judicial system in light of EU legislation.

Mihail has an MSc in Law (LLM) from Sofia University, Bulgaria and a Diploma of advanced study of the EU judicial and legal system from the inter-university programme of Robert Shuman University of Strasbourg, University of Nancy 2 and Sofia University.

Mihail is Chairman of BCause and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Global Libraries Bulgaria Foundation.

He speaks fluent Bulgarian, English and Russian.